BY SERGEI KLEBNIKOV | After the historic Bowlmoor Lanes closed its doors last July, the property’s owner presented development plans for a new project at the site that would radically change the area’s character.
Billy Macklowe, the owner of 110 University Place, made clear his intentions to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new 23-story high-rise. After construction plans were filed last September, many community members expressed concern that the proposed 308-foot-tall luxury apartment building would be tremendously out of context with the rest of the neighborhood.
Since then, local organizations and elected officials have been keeping close tabs on the situation. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, in particular, was among the first to take action, as it pressed Macklowe for a meeting to discuss possible alternative designs more in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood.
As Andrew Berman, executive director of G.V.S.H.P., explained to The Villager last October, the current zoning laws for the University Place and Broadway corridors unfortunately allow for the type of out-of-scale construction that Macklowe has been proposing. In short, under the current zoning, bigger sites have fewer height restrictions.
Because 110 University Place is larger than any other development site in the neighborhood, it would be possible to construct a building there that is significantly taller than any others nearby. The current zoning offers an incentive for building tall structures, such as hotels or dormitories, in spite of the mainly residential buildings in the area.
Although Macklowe refused to meet with G.V.S.H.P., he did agree to meet with City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who had also reached out to him on behalf of the community. The developer reportedly refused to alter his plans, despite the local concerns.
Development plans were presented to the councilmember’s office. However, as she described it, “Everything was ‘as of right’ and in accordance with the current zoning laws. So, essentially, there was nothing we could do about it.”
Mendez subsequently reached out to Berman, who expressed his desire to meet and work on a plan for implementing contextual rezoning in the area. The councilmember’s office has worked closely with G.V.S.H.P. and Community Board 2 in the past, particularly in rezoning the Third and Fourth Aves. corridors. Berman and G.V.S.H.P. proposed a similar plan for University Place and Broadway, to which Mendez agreed.
G.V.S.H.P.’s contextual rezoning proposal, critically, would establish height caps for new construction in the area. Specifically, it calls for height limits of between 80 feet and 120 feet for new development. In addition, the proposal includes a provision and incentive for inclusionary housing, under which new developments could provide affordable housing units.
The plan offers “the best of both worlds,” as Berman explained: Not only would the rezoning slash the size of new high-rises, but it would also help create more affordable housing.
On Jan. 14, Berman presented G.V.S.H.P.’s contextual rezoning proposal to C.B. 2’s Land Use Committee, which gave it “an overwhelmingly positive response,” he said. More than 100 community members attended to show their support, and the committee voted unanimously in favor of the plan.
The rezoning proposal next went before the full board of C.B. 2 for a vote last Thursday. Councilmember Mendez also attended the meeting to show her support for the rezoning and thank those involved. All 45 C.B. 2 board members present voted unanimously to adopt the Land Use Committee’s resolution in support of the rezoning, and urged the Department of City Planning to “move expeditiously to pursue a contextual rezoning” for the University Place and Broadway corridors.
“Support from C.B. 2 puts us in a strong position,” Berman explained, as the plan can now move past its initial stages.
Having won full support from the community, the contextual rezoning must now go before City Planning, which will decide whether to serve as the applicant for the plan. If Planning agrees to sponsor the rezoning, it will start the formal process of putting the plan through public review.
As a fail-safe, G.V.S.H.P. is also ready to serve as a private applicant for the plan, Berman noted.
“Although this option is more expensive, we are willing to do it,” he said. “However, we’re hoping that the Department of City Planning will be enthusiastic about taking it on, especially because of the affordable housing aspect.”
In the best-case scenario, the zoning change could happen in as soon as a year.
